Pressure
by DarkElements10
Summary: The pressure put on him was a combination of a lot of things, the biggest one was of his future. Sort of sequel to 'Breathe'.


**Pressure**

 **By: Riley**

 **Summary – **The pressure put on him was a combination of a lot of things, the biggest one was of his future. Sort of sequel to 'Breathe'.

* * *

"So what do you think of UCLA? It's got a great program for pre-law and I have a buddy there who wouldn't mind talking to you." Rocky managed a smile when he noticed his father turned to him, waiting for a reaction. A smile was a reaction. No, to Samuel Douglass Sr. a smile may as well be a sign of acceptance. A sign of saying he was right, a sign that he was going to do everything his father wanted of him.

The smile falling from his face, into a carefully practiced look of contemplation, Rocky shifted his gaze to his mother. A silent plea for help. She wasn't much better. Her head was lowered, eyes scouring over the brochure her husband had placed in front of her, identical to the one he held and Rocky was passively glancing at. The ones with the school's seal stamped on the front and many diverse smiling faces peering back at them all, all silently saying why it was great to go to that school.

It was one of the many his parents were telling him to go to. Telling him, not asking his opinion on. The front runners were all in the California area; UCLA, California State, USC, Berkeley, Chapman. Then there were those across the US; Emmanuel College, FIT, and, of course, the Ivy Leagues. Tuition was never going to be a problem; his parents had reassured him. There was plenty money they had stashed away for the three boys to go to whatever college they wanted.

Right. Whatever _they_ wanted.

What a joke. Rocky knew the truth and tried his best to warn Colt and TumTum not to make the same mistake he did, to let his parents pressure them. It was all Rocky felt, pressure. About everything in his life; being the oldest, being the most responsible, setting a good example. It fell into every part of his life, even the college decision process. _Especially_ the college decision process. The moment he started his junior year, they were on him.

What are you going to major in? _I haven't given it much thought,_ Rocky started to say. Pre-Law. They decided.

What are you going to minor in? _Well,_ Rocky hesitated. Economics. They decided.

What kind of schools are you interested in? _I want to go to Washington State,_ Rocky knew. He knew for a long time it was where he'd wanted to go. But the moment he brought it up, Sam had shaken his head. No. That's not the school you want to go to. It's not your scene, there are too many stoners, too many people who don't take it seriously. I would know, I've done enough work with the law to know what goes on.

Rocky tried to protest and was shut down. Since then, none of what he wanted was put into consideration. And all Rocky could do was sit back, grin, and bare it. At some point they'd have to notice he wasn't as enthusiastic about their plans, wouldn't they?

"The campus looks so gorgeous," Jessica said, grasping her husband's wrist. Then she addressed her eldest son. "It would be a great place for you to go, Rocky. Not too close to home, but not too far away, either."

Oh, that was it. His mother didn't want him to go too far away. Rocky felt the pressure in his chest increase. His father wanted him to follow in his footsteps to work in law enforcement and his mother wanted him to stay close to home. To pop in visit. To check up on him. To continue to run his life. Rocky wanted no part in that. But he couldn't say it. Couldn't say it knowing how much it'd ruin things. His father would be angry, his mother would be disappointed, all their plans would go to waste.

It was too much pressure.

"So, what do you think, Samuel?" His father had asked. Another pang of pressure. The closer he'd come to graduating, the less his father called him 'Rocky'. It'd been strange at first, he'd been Rocky for so long that hearing his real name called had him look over his shoulder for his father. Not even his teachers called him 'Samuel' only doing so on the very first day of school. His best friend, Jason, called him Sam, but that was due to moving to their part of California not long after the '3 Ninjas' became famous. Rocky felt it was good someone hadn't known who he was—Jason had looked at him funny when the news broke—and so didn't mind being called by his real name.

"Of?" Rocky pressed, unsure if he'd missed too much while being so into his head.

Sam gave him a pointed look. "UCLA. It's perfect, as your mother said. Close to home, not too close. The pre-law program has some of the best minds in academics that can help you get ahead. There's plenty of opportunity for networking and getting ahead later in life. And when you need internship experience I'm sure we can find a place for you in my office."

Rocky tried to keep his smile from turning into a grimace. Considering how many times he and his brothers had managed to find themselves in the middle of a threat—with Snyder being the most infamous example—the FBI was always close behind. There had been enough comments about the status of the country's national security if a bunch of kids could handle things. Showing his face around FBI's headquarters would probably exasperate things.

"I'm sure he'd love that," Jessica said, turning her smile to Rocky.

More pressure.

Rocky wondered if it were possible to have a heart attack at his age. "That'd be great, dad," he said instead. Then he cleared his throat and gathered the many brochures together. Most of them would go in the trash it seemed, since UCLA was the top runner. "I'm just going to bring this to my room. I still have some homework to finish."

"Okay, but we need to get started on your entrance essays soon," Sam pointed out.

Rocky's eyebrows furrowed. "Isn't it kind of early?" He asked. "For the application I mean."

"I'd say it's never too late," Sam contradicted his eldest son. "Never too late to get a head start on your future when you're well prepared. Let me know if you need any help, I'm sure there are some tips and tricks from admissions I can find out."

Again, Rocky smiled and turned from the table. He didn't say anything more and turned to go to his room. Passing by the living room, he stopped and watched for a few minutes as Colt and TumTum played a video game together. One of the few times they weren't at each other's throats. They wouldn't have to worry about any pressure for a few years yet. Lucky them, by that point their parents would've mellowed out a little. Always get the kinks out when dealing with the oldest, so not to make the same mistakes later.

Rocky backed away from the living room and went up to his room. He quietly closed the door behind him and went straight to his desk and sat down. With a sigh, Rocky tossed the brochures and packets away from him. It was never too late.

If that were the case, they wouldn't be too upset if he put it off a little bit longer.

* * *

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** I've been saying _Crossroads_ (my Rocky-centered story) has been 'coming soon' for about four years now. But it actually is coming soon. This one-shot, like _Focus and Breathe_ are all prologue one-shots to provide a bit of backstory/insight into Rocky before the story starts. Hope you liked it.

 **Cheers,**

 **Riley**


End file.
